


Secret By Omission

by fangirl_squee



Series: homies help homies, always [26]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-15
Updated: 2013-05-15
Packaged: 2017-12-12 00:16:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/804901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a practical level, Grantaire knew that Enjolras would find out who his parents were eventually. He was just hoping he could put off that time until they were both on their deathbeds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secret By Omission

**Author's Note:**

> References to What’s In a Name? and set after Thicker Than Water. Thanks again to Adri for her inspiration and encouragement.

Marius and Grantaire call Claire together when Marius visits him the next day. It takes them three to tries to get her on the phone properly – one misdial because figuring out how to make a call out from the hospital phone proved more difficult than they thought, and then they had to call back twice because she was in a meeting.

 

When they do finally manage to get a hold of her, she sounds slightly frazzled. Her tone changes to a mixture of exasperated and worried when they tell her what happened.

 

“I won’t be able to get away from the office until next week sometime,” she says, apologetic, “we go to trial in three days and I’m on my own for this one, I –“

 

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s just a wrist,” says Grantaire.

 

There’s a pause, and Claire sighs into the phone. “I would if I could.”

 

“I know,” says Grantaire.

 

It’s not like Grantaire was expecting her to rush to his bedside. She might not be of the same fame as their parents, but she’s already made quite a name for herself with the public defender’s office. Frankly, he’s surprised she even has time to be on the phone to him this long.

               

“I’ll leave a space on the cast for you,” says Grantaire.

 

Claire laughs. Marius gets a sharpie and draws a rectangle on the flattest part of the cast, on the inside of Grantaire’s wrist. _Reserved for Claire_ , he writes underneath it.

 

They get Claire to give family permission for other visitors, and the rest of Les Amis drop in throughout the day. Enjolras sits next to Grantaire as soon as he gets there, and stays until visiting hours end. Enjolras takes Grantaire’s uninjured hand and doesn’t let go (and normally he would tease Enjolras a little, but he doesn’t want to give Enjolras a reason to stop). Before they leave, Marius and Enjolras organise pick him up tomorrow.

 

Marius wheels him out the next morning (even though he can walk, hospital policy says he’s got to be wheeled to the exit) and Enjolras walks beside him, hand still in his. They stop by the nurse’s desk to get the discharge papers, and Marius goes to check his messages in a flimsy excuse to give them some privacy. Grantaire lets his head rest on Enjolras’ side slightly as he starts to fill out the form. He’s almost sad that he has to let you of Enjolras’ hand to do that, but he smiles when he feels Enjolras’ hand through his hair.

 

Enjolras leans forward, frowning over Grantaire’s shoulder at the papers. “They’ve given you the wrong paperwork.”

 

It takes him a second to see what Enjolras means, but then Grantaire has a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach. “No, they haven’t.”

 

“Yes they _have_ , look at the name up the top.” Enjolras flicks the top of the page. “That’s not you, that’s the son of those disgusting corporate lawyers who are always on the news. Although I’m surprised they let their son into a public hospital, unless he’s here as some sort of family PR stunt.”

 

Enjolras tries to pull the papers out of his hands, but Grantaire pulls back. Enjolras is starting to give him a really weird look, and he can see Marius hovering on the edge of the room, looking worried.

 

_Oh, so this is it then_ , thinks Grantaire, because there is no way Enjolras will just let this go.

 

“They haven’t given me the wrong paperwork,” Grantaire says quietly, like he’s almost hoping that Enjolras won’t hear, “Grantaire is just a nickname.”

 

“Oh.” Enjolras is quiet for a few moments, his expression carefully blank. “ _Oh_. So were you ever going to tell me?”

 

“What, that I’m the son of _disgusting corporate lawyers_? I think you were better off not knowing.” It comes out more bitter than Grantaire meant it to.

 

“What do you mean better off? And why would you hide something like this from me?”

 

Grantaire is aware that the volume of their conversation is getting louder, and a few people turn to stare at them but he can’t bring himself to care. Because this is it, this is how Enjolras breaks up with him.

 

“I wasn’t hiding it –“

 

“Yes you were!” If people weren’t staring before, they certainly are now. “You deliberately avoided mention of your parents any time I tried to talk to you about it.”

 

“Maybe because I didn’t want to have this argument with you!” Grantaire doesn’t even want to have this argument now.

 

“It wouldn’t have been an argument if you hadn’t lied to me!”

 

“I didn’t lie! I’m sorry my omission of certain details about my life is in breach of your standards of perfection.”

 

“I don’t have standards of perfection; I just wanted my boyfriend to be honest with me! I thought –“ Enjolras looks away, “I thought I could trust you to be honest with me about everything.”

 

If Grantaire didn’t have to hand this paperwork in before he could leave, he would run right now. “Enjolras, I am, I _do_ , but my family is –“

 

“You clearly _don’t_ , because otherwise I wouldn’t have found out like this!” The certainly is back in Enjolras’ tone now, and he glares at Grantaire.

 

It makes Grantaire think of how things used to be between them, when the only way he could make Enjolras look at him was to annoy him enough. He’s sad to be going back to that.

 

“You’ve said, loudly and publicly how you feel about my parents. Why would I want you to know that you were dating their son? Why would I give you _another_ reason to end this?”

 

Enjolras steps back and it’s all wrong, because arguing with Enjolras used to bring him closer, not further away. “If I end this it’s because of _your lies_ , not who your parents are. Stop making excuses!”

 

“Are you?” says Grantaire, “are you ending this? Because it sounds like you’re the one making excuses now.”

 

Enjolras makes a frustrated noise, something in the nature of a suppressed scream. “If you want to break up, fine!”

 

It doesn’t matter how much Grantaire’s been expecting this, it still comes like a punch to the gut. “Fine! We’re broken up!”

 

“Fine!” Enjolras turns, and storms out of the room.

 

The automatic doors hiss closed behind him slowly, and Enjolras doesn’t look back. Grantaire looks down at the papers in his hands, at his stupid full name, and feels tired down into his bones.

 

Marius approaches slowly, and pulls at the papers. “Did you want me to finish these?”

 

Grantaire lets out a shaky breath. “Yeah. Yeah, thanks. I’ll sign them when you’re done.”

 

“Grantaire, are you –“

 

“I’m fine, okay, and I’d really appreciate it if I didn’t have to talk about it right now,” says Grantaire.

 

“We never have to talk about anything you don’t want to talk about,” says Marius softly, “but if you _do_ want to, you can talk to me.”

 

“Yeah, I know,” he says.

 

When they get home, Grantaire lies down on the couch, flicking the tv on and turning the volume down low. Marius moves his feet out the way to sit down, and starts out the beat of a commercial’s jingle on Grantaire’s ankle. He’s got such a worried expression on his face that it’s almost audible.

 

“I’m _fine_ Marius,” says Grantaire.

 

Marius pokes the bottom of his foot. “No, you’re not. And that’s okay, you had a fight with your boyfriend and then you broke up. You’re allowed to not be fine.”

 

Grantaire pushes Marius’ hand away with his foot. “I haven’t been their son for a long time, but I can’t seem to get away from the family name. There’s just not a lot you can do about family, I guess.” He sighs. “Can we talk about something else for a while?”

 

Marius’ hand is warm where it’s resting on his ankle. “Sure.”

 

Grantaire traces a finger around the blank space on his cast that they left for Claire, trying and failing not to look at Enjolras’ neat handwriting next to it. He falls asleep after a while, listening to Marius talk about his classes.

 

When Marius wakes him up the room is a lot darker. “Wake up, it’s time for bed.”

 

Even though there’s nothing wrong with his legs, Marius helps him up the stairs, and climbs into bed alongside Grantaire. He leans into Grantaire, just like he always does, head warm and feet freezing.

 

He yelps, and Marius laughs a little. “Sorry, I forgot.”

 

“How could you forget your feet are made of ice?” It’s an old exchange between them now, but it makes Marius laughs.

 

Grantaire smiles a little, and then something in his chest _aches_ sharply and he starts to cry. He turns his face away, because he doesn’t want Marius to see.

 

“Hey,” says Marius, sitting up a little and putting a hand on Grantaire’s shoulder, “it’s okay.”

 

It takes Grantaire a minute before he can pull himself together enough to answer. “No, it’s not. I just fucked up one of the best things to ever happen to me. I fucked it up and, and I –“

 

Marius wraps his arms around Grantaire as best he can. “So it’s not okay. But it will be, I promise. We’ll make it be okay.”

 

“What if you get tired of trying?” says Grantaire. His voice sounds very small.

 

“ _Never_ ,” says Marius, “we’re brothers, remember?”

 

It takes him a long time to fall asleep, staring at the ceiling and feeling Marius’ even breathing against his shoulder. When he wakes up it’s almost midday, and someone is banging on the door.

 

He expects Marius to get it, but instead he hears Marius yell, “ _go away_ Enjolras, he’s asleep!”

 

It doesn’t even make any sense. Enjolras hadn’t left anything behind the last time he’d stayed over. There’s no reason for him to be here. Grantaire pushes himself out of bed.

 

Marius is glaring at the front door.

 

“What’s going on?” says Grantaire.

 

Marius makes a face. “Enjolras came by this morning to see you but you were still asleep, so he decided to just stay until you woke up.”

 

“Oh,” says Grantaire. He’d imagined Enjolras’ reaction to his parents many times, but he’d honestly never envisioned this scenario.

 

Marius looks between Grantaire and the door. “Did you want me to, I mean, I can tell him to leave, if you want?”

 

Grantaire swallowed, running a hand through his knotted hair. “No, it’s okay. I’ll talk to him.”

 

The front steps are warm under his bare feet. Enjolras is sitting on the bottom steps, head in his hands, and he looks up as Grantaire shuts the door. Grantaire sits down next to him, carefully keeping a space between them.

 

“Hey,” says Grantaire, because he’s not really sure what to say. He’s pretty sure Enjolras isn’t the kind of guy who would wait around outside all day just to continue an argument.

 

“Listen, about what happened yesterday, I –“ says Enjolras.

 

“Don’t worry, we’re still broken up,” says Grantaire. He’s not going to make Enjolras say it again.

 

“Well, what if I don’t want to be,” says Enjolras.

 

Grantaire wonders if breaking your wrist can cause hearing problems. “What?”

 

“I don’t want to presume what you’re feeling, but I know that I don’t want to break up. If you do, I’ll respect that, but, I – I like you Grantaire. I like you _a lot_. And I’m not, I, “ he looks away, “I don’t have a lot of experience in this. But I’d like to keep experiencing it, with you.”

 

Grantaire thinks he may have stopped breathing. “I’d like that.”

 

Enjolras smiles at him, and Grantaire smiles back. They both shift closer together at the same time, and Grantaire huffs a laugh. They’re silent for a few moments.

 

_Well,_ Grantaire thinks, _now or never_. “Listen, about my parents –“

 

“You don’t have to tell me about them,” interrupts Enjolras.

 

“No, I should have done this before, okay, I wanted to, I just … I guess I was afraid you’d react, well, kind of exactly how you did,” says Grantaire.

 

They’re both quiet again. Enjolras puts his hand over Grantaire’s, where he’s leaning his weight on his uninjured wrist. “I’m sorry.”

 

 “You’re forgiven, okay?” Grantaire smiles weakly at him, and turns his palm so that he’s holding Enjolras’ hand properly. “So. My parents. The last time I saw them in person was two years ago, where we had a lengthy argument about how much of a waste of space and money I was.”

 

Enjolras makes a soft noise, like he wants to interrupt again. Grantaire squeezes his hand. They stay out on the steps, sitting in a patch of sunlight, for a long time. Eventually, Grantaire’s need to have a shower and brush his teeth outweighs his need to sit next to Enjolras.

 

Enjolras laughs a little. “I’ll wait. We can go get an early dinner somewhere.”

 

Grantaire smiles back at him, and he feels light. “I’d like that.”

 

 

(It’s not the last argument they ever have, not by a long shot. But they both do a lot more listening rather than yelling over the top of each other after that.)

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always loved: fangirl-squee.tumblr.com/ask


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